Put the regular tofu, silken tofu, nondairy milk, salt, turmeric, garlic, and pepper in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl, and fold in the vegan cheddar cheese.

Stir in the Italian seasoning and the diced onion. Transfer the tofu mixture to the prepared pan and smooth the top with the back of a rubber spatula. Arrange the 14 asparagus spears to resemble the spokes of a wheel, with the asparagus tips forming the center of the “wheel.”

Top the quiche with several grinds of black pepper. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the center of the tart is firm to the touch. Put the pan on a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes.

Gently run a table knife around the perimeter of the tart to loosen it from the sides of the pan. Carefully remove the outer ring of the springform pan. Let the tart cool for 30 minutes before serving (see note). Serve warm with crusty bread and crisp green salad on the side. Alternately, cover the tart and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, or until well chilled, and served cold.

Chef’s Note: When served warm, the tart will be quite soft, so slice it carefully for serving. The tart will firm up quite a bit after it is refrigerated for 4 to 6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the canned tomatoes with juice over the bottom of a 9- x 12-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle the minced garlic evenly over the tomatoes.

Put the bread, cashews, sunflower seeds, basil, Italian seasoning, and sea salt in a food processor and process into coarse crumbs. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Add the optional olive oil and stir to combine. Add the fresh tomatoes and gently stir, until thoroughly combined.

Arrange the artichoke halves on top of the tomatoes and garlic in the prepared casserole dish, cut-side up. Stuff each cavity with one-eighth of the cashew/sunflower seed mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes, or until brown the top of the stuffing is golden brown.

To serve, put some of the tomato sauce from the bottom of the casserole dish on each individual serving plate and top it with 1 stuffed artichoke halves. Serve warm or cover, refrigerate and serve chilled.

Chef’s Note: Once the artichokes are cooked and cooled, cut the artichokes in half vertically.Scoop out the fuzzy center choke with a grapefruit spoon or teaspoon. If you are cooking the artichokes ahead of making this recipe, wrap the artichokes tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigeratefor up to 1 day before preparing this recipe.

Sweet Arugula Salad

Makes 2 to 4 servings

SALAD

5 ounces baby arugula, washed and dried

1 medium sweet orange or red pepper, chopped

1 small granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/3 cup roasted salted almonds

DRESSING

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Sea salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Put all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss with large tongs, to combine.

Put all of the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and briskly whisk to emulsify.

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss, to coat. Serve immediately.

Paprika Roasted Cauliflower

Makes 4 to 6 servings

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets

1 medium red or yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking pan with unbleached parchment paper. Put all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Spread the mixture in an even layer on the lined baking pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender but still holds its shape.